Planning Commission backs interstate sign overlay and directs staff to refine multi-tenant signage rules

The Brandon Planning & Zoning Commission voted to recommend an amendment establishing an Interstate Sign Overlay District to the City Council, saying the overlay would modify general-business sign rules within roughly 1,400 feet of I‑90 to better reflect highway-facing properties.

Staff explained the overlay is not a new zoning district but an additional layer on top of the existing GB (general business) rules that would allow one taller sign per lot and scale maximum sign area by height (for example, up to 50 feet tall = 200 square feet; taller signs allow larger areas under specified conditions). The planner told commissioners the overlay would add separation distances between signs and is intended to balance visibility from the interstate with protections for nearby residential areas.

Commissioners said the proposal recognizes the different character of highway-frontage parcels compared with downtown or neighborhood commercial corridors and cited the need to protect residential areas while allowing businesses to attract traffic off I‑90. "It's not a zoning district itself," a staff presenter said, describing the overlay as a layer added on top of base GB regulations. Commissioners discussed public-notice and council timing; staff said the City Council will hold a public hearing on March 2 and a second reading March 16, with likely mid‑April effective date if not referred.

Beyond the immediate overlay, commissioners opened a broader conversation about sign rules for strip malls and long multi-tenant buildings. Several members suggested alternatives to the current lineal-street-frontage formula, including calculating total allowable signage from building frontage (a proposed 1:1 ratio where each linear foot of building frontage yields one square foot of allowable signage) while still limiting any single sign to 200 square feet. Commissioners and members of the public also discussed how to treat interior suites without exterior entrances, how landlords might allocate signage rights to tenants, and how variances could create precedents.

Staff said they would prepare example calculations for local properties (including Split Rock and Holly corridors) and return with draft ordinance language. The commission emphasized that tabling or adjusting cases while the ordinance is revised would preserve applicants’ options without creating immediate precedents.

The commission’s recommendation sends the overlay amendment to city council for public hearings and possible adoption. The commission also asked staff to return with concrete draft language and worked examples that show how a frontage-based calculation and per-sign cap would apply to existing local properties.